Here on the Olympic Peninsula, we are surrounded by a wealth of incredible natural beauty and I love nothing more than to get out with my camera and capture some of that beauty. My work is an expression of my self, my passions, my excitement and whatever it is in the world that engages me….
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PiBoIdMo – 30 Ideas, 30 Days
November is a special month for two reasons. It’s National Picture Book Month and it’s PiBoIdMo – Picture Book Idea Month – an awesome concept dreamed up by picture book author Tara Lazar: create 30 picture book concepts in 30 days. I am super excited to be participating in the 2015 7th annual PiBoIdMo this…
It’s Roald Dahl Day!
“And above all, watch with glittering eyes the whole world around you because the greatest secrets are always hidden in the most unlikely places. Those who don’t believe in magic will never find it.” ―Roald Dahl Today is Roald Dahl Day! If you are wondering “Who is Roald Dahl?” I can help. Think: Willy Wonka,…
Why a Good Book is a Secret Door
Childhood is surreal. Why shouldn’t children’s books be? In this whimsical TED talk, award-winning author Mac Barnett speaks about writing that escapes the page, art as a doorway to wonder — and what real kids say to a fictional whale. Interactive Transcript This talk was presented to a local audience at TEDxSonomaCounty, an independent event….
The Greatest Invention
“Knowledge is power. Information is liberating. Education is the premise of progress, in every society, in every family.” Kofi Annan My favorite saying: “Knowledge is power” – Francis Bacon, Meditationes Sacrae (1597). When we educate ourselves, we learn new things that we were previously unaware of. This gives us the ability to make better decisions,…
Goodreads Picture Book Giveaway
Help me celebrate my birthday by entering for a chance to win an autographed copy of my children’s picture books! The Goodreads Picture Book Giveaway ends on my birthday, June 20th. Good luck! Feel free to share this post with friends and family who have wee ones to read to. Goodreads Book Giveaway Goober…
Wonderful World of Color
“The aim of every artist is to arrest motion, which is life, by artificial means and hold it fixed so that a hundred years later, when a stranger looks at it, it moves again since it is life.” —William Faulkner I am forever enamored with nature. Overflowing with untold possibilities, getting outside and opening my…
Kidlit411 Giveaway Days
Kidlit411 Giveaway Days is going on now, in celebration of their one-year anniversary! How does it work? There are three days of giveaways: Jan. 5: All About Picture Books – win signed books from your favorite PB authors/illustrators & PB manuscript critiques Jan. 6: All About Craft – win courses and critiques in writing & illustrating Jan….
Will Global Warming Cancel Christmas?
This is my short story entry for Susannah Leonard Hill’s 4th Annual Holiday Contest. The challenge: write a children’s story (children being defined as approximately age 12 and under) in which wild weather impacts the holidays not to exceed 350 words. Will Global Warming Cancel Christmas? Word count: 349 News Flash! Global Warming Has Impacted…
Author Appearance
This past weekend I made an author appearance at a local Gift Gala hosted by the International Soroptomist organization. Here, fellow author Lindy MacLaine and I spent the day autographing and selling our new books. We met lots of nice people looking for those “just right” holiday gift-giving ideas; and fortunately, good books are always…
